Combined circuit board tie-wrap bracket

ABSTRACT

A bracket for circuit boards includes a rectangular rigid base having a bottom edge and a planar front surface. A head extends upwardly from the base and includes a threaded bore along a longitudinal axis. An intermediate region of the bracket between the head and the base includes a substantially rectangular aperture extending laterally through the intermediate region. A top surface of the head of the bracket includes a planar surface adapted for pick-and-place transportation. A planar bottom surface of the base is preferably adapted for surface mounting to a circuit board by soldering and may further include downward extending pins to be received in corresponding holes in the circuit board.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present patent application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/595,312 filed Jun. 22, 2005 entitled “Combined Circuit Board Tie-Wrap Bracket,” priority from which is hereby claimed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to fasteners and mounting hardware for circuit boards. More specifically, it relates to a combined right angle mounting bracket and tie-wrap connector for a circuit board which can be surface mounted.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART

There are many mounting brackets that provide mounting attachment at a right angle from a surface. A particular bracket is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,501 entitled “Perpendicular Edge Fastener.” The device in this patent includes a rectangular base which provides clinch-type attachment of the bracket to a metal sheet. There is, however, a great demand for mounting brackets for circuit boards, but this device is not suitable for circuit board applications.

One requirement for a circuit board bracket is its ability to provide a vertical attachment face which is flush with or extends beyond the edge of the circuit board, however this desired mounting position poses several problems. First, to be efficiently used in high volume circuit board production, the mounting bracket is often required to be transported to the circuit board by automated pick-and-place equipment. Such equipment requires a centered, flat top surface so that the device can be handled by the vacuum placement arm. Secondly, the mounting bracket needs to have a planar attachment face to establish an orientation plane perpendicular to the surface of the circuit board. Finally, the circuit board bottom surface of the bracket cannot be co-extensive with the attachment face because when flush edge mounting is required, or a mounting arrangement in which the attachment face is required to extend beyond the edge of the circuit board, there is not a circuit board perimeter along the front edge of the bracket to permit the proper inspection of the surface mount solder joint.

There is also the need for providing an attachment point on a circuit board for securing cable ties which are commonly used to secure circuit board wiring. Cable tie attachment brackets for mounting on panels has been provided for sheet metal panels in the form of rectangular clinch-type cable tie mounts such as the Ty-D® self-clinching cable tie mount sold by Penn Engineering & Manufacturing Corp. However, these mounts have no provision for fastening systems other than cable ties and are provided only for clinch attachment to metal panels. They are not usable in circuit boards.

While the individual needs in the art described above have been addressed, there has not yet been an adequate solution provided by a single mounting bracket device which meets the circuit board mounting needs of both screw attachment and cable tie attachment in a single device for economy of manufacture and versatility of application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present device provides a combined circuit board mounting bracket which can be surface mounted and which includes means for independently receiving both a threaded fastener and a cable tie either individually or together. The present device further includes a pick-and-place adapted configuration for automated assembly. It also includes an offset of the edge of the mounting pad to allow the face of the bracket to be sub-flush, flush, or extend beyond the edge of the circuit board. A provision for an aperture in the bracket to receive the cable tie is provided in an extension of the mounting base which provides the additional benefit of raising the height of the threaded fastener mounting point while keeping the mass of the part to a minimum. A taller bracket allows a greater range of freedom for tools which operate on the fastening screws. This also facilitates economy of manufacture by reducing the material necessary to create the device. Cost is further reduced by reducing shipping and transportation costs. Also, because the entire assembly is heated during the surface mounting process, a low thermal mass of the part permits the fastener to heat quickly and in a controlled manner.

More specifically, the applicant has invented a bracket for a circuit board comprising a rectangular rigid base including a bottom edge and a planar front surface. A head extending upwardly from the base includes a threaded bore along a lateral axis. In one embodiment, an intermediate region of the bracket between the head and the base includes a substantially rectangular aperture extending laterally through the intermediate region from a front surface to a rear surface thereof. A top of the head of the bracket includes a planar surface adapted for pick-and-place transportation of the bracket. The base further includes a planar bottom surface adapted for surface mounting to a circuit board by soldering. The bottom surface further includes downwardly extending pins which are received in corresponding holes in the circuit board. Thread characteristic indicia are located on the opposing side surfaces of the head preferably in the form of lateral grooves on one or both sides when they may also be used as snap connector attachment points.

These structures of the present invention meet the needs in the art described above and contain further improvements and advantages which will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the following drawings and description of the preferred embodiment. While the present invention will be described with the reference to a specific embodiment, the following description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications to the present invention can be made to the preferred embodiment by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It will be noted here that for better understanding like components are designated by the reference numerals throughout the various figures of drawing which follow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top right front isometric view of the circuit board fastener mount.

FIG. 2 is a bottom left front isometric view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a partial side sectional view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a partial front sectional view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention includes a base 11, an intermediate portion 12 that includes a strap securement aperture, and a head 13. The top of the head includes a flat horizontal planar surface 5 adapted for pick-and-place automated transportation of the part to the circuit board site. The head further includes a lateral threaded bore 1 for receiving a threaded fastener such as a screw, however the bore need not be threaded and it may be adapted to receive any type of cooperating element. The sides of the head include laterally extending grooves 6 which may serve several purposes including an indication of the thread type by the presence or absence of the grooves. The grooves may also provide a snap connection attachment point to another component to releasably attach it to the head of the fastener.

The intermediate region of the fastener between the head and the base includes a rectangular aperture 7 which extends from a planar front surface 15 of the bracket through the entire width of the bracket to provide a through passage for a cable tie. The base may further include inspection cutaways 3 which facilitate edge mounting of the bracket on the circuit board so that the front surface of the bracket may be located flush with the edge of the circuit board while providing an exposed surface area on the board along the edge to accommodate solder joint inspection.

Referring now to FIG. 2, greater detail of the bottom of the fastener bracket is depicted. The base includes a planar bottom surface 2 and one or more pins 4 extending downwardly therefrom. Inspection cutaway 3 extends along the front edge of the base. Cable tie aperture 7, threaded bore 1, and indicia groove 6 are also shown. Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, greater detail of the relationship between the top surface 5, threaded through-bore 1, rectangular through-bore 7, cutaways 3, bottom surface 2, and locating pins 4 are depicted.

In use, the bracket is surface mounted to a circuit board by way of the usual automated surface mount process using a pick-and-place type transportation mechanism which operates on the planar top surface of the bracket. Upon placement, holes in the circuit board receive the pins which extend downwardly from the base of the bracket. The pins function to both properly locate the bracket on the board and also to provide additional strength to the solder joint. Cutaways on the front and rear bottom edges of the bracket permit visual inspection of the solder joint if the bracket is mounted flush with the edge of the circuit board. Once attached, the bracket may now be used to affix any type of device or chassis mounting arrangement by application of a corresponding threaded fastener to the threaded bore. The rectangular aperture which extends through the bracket may be utilized to receive a cable for various purposes such as securing circuit board wiring. The presence or absence of grooves on either side of the head which may be added to the part may be employed to indicate the quality of the thread such as metric versus standard thread profile.

From the foregoing drawings and description of the preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the objects of the invention have been achieved. It should be understood that there may be other modifications and changes to the present invention that will be obvious to those of skill in the art. For example, the through-bore need not be threaded and may be used to receive a pivot pin or to receive a cable. The through-bore need not be cylindrical but may also be irregularly shaped to receive a like-configured pin for torque resistance. While the base includes two pins, any number of pins or a bracket without pins may be used. Other useful modifications to the invention are limited only by the imagination. The present invention should be limited only by the following claims and their legal equivalents. 

1. A bracket for attachment to a circuit board, comprising: a main body including a head, a front surface, an intermediate region, and a bottom edge; attachment means on the head of said main body for affixation of a device to said front surface; a substantially rectangular aperture extending through said intermediate region from the front surface to a rear surface thereof, and a planar base of said main body beneath the bottom edge of said front surface, said base having a front side parallel to said front surface and offset rearwardly therefrom, said base further including a planar bottom surface adapted for soldering.
 2. The bracket of claim 1 further including a centered planar top surface of said main body adapted for pick-and-place transportation of the bracket.
 3. The bracket of claim 2 wherein said base further includes at least one pin extending downwardly from said bottom surface.
 4. The bracket of claim 3 wherein said attachment means comprises a threaded bore extending through said front surface.
 5. The bracket of claim 4 which includes only two pins.
 6. An assembly of parts including the bracket of claim 3 and a circuit board having an aperture receiving each pin of said bracket.
 7. The bracket of claim 1 further including snap connection means on said head.
 8. The bracket of claim 7 wherein said snap connection means comprises two laterally extending parallel grooves, one on each side of said head.
 9. A bracket for attachment to a circuit board, comprising: a main body having a planar front surface including a bottom edge; attachment means on said main body for affixation of a device to said front surface; a centered planar top surface of said main body adapted for pick-and-place transportation of the bracket; and a base of said main body beneath the bottom edge of said front surface, said base having a front side parallel to said front surface and offset rearwardly therefrom, said base further including a planar bottom surface adapted for soldering to a top surface of a circuit board.
 10. The bracket of claim 9 wherein said base further includes at least one post extending downwardly from said bottom surface.
 11. The bracket of claim 10 further including a longitudinal threaded bore extending through said front surface. 